Bipolar transistors are much used in modern electronics as individual devices and as part of various integrated circuits (ICs). It is often difficult to simultaneously achieve certain combinations of desired properties, as for example and not intended to be limiting, both high gain and high Early Voltage with adequate breakdown voltages. In the prior art it has been customary to tune the properties of particular devices by, for example, adjusting the doping profiles. However, in large scale production this may not be practical since manufacturing optimization and cost considerations often limit the variations in doping profiles that can be used in the manufacturing sequence for a particular semiconductor device or IC. Accordingly, a need continues to exist for improved bipolar transistors and methods for manufacturing the same, which permit both high gain and high Early Voltage to be simultaneously achieved using common manufacturing techniques.